Method for supporting trousers



Feb. 17, 1931. c. s. MACKENZIE METHOD FOR SUPPORTING TROUSERS Filed May 17, 1928 Int 8% OMNI/ENTO' y 977.5%

Patented Feb. 17, 1931 UNITED srars .arrr Fries CHARLES S. IVIACKENZIE, OF BOUND BROOK, NEW JERSEY METHOD FOR SUPPORTING TROUSERS Application filed May 17, 1928.

er comfort and satisfaction by forcing the front and back creases customarily pressed in trousersl legs yinto vertical planes and balancing the front and back portions of eacn of said trousers legs from points in the waist part or waist band of said trousers into said vertical planes and of overcoming or counteracting transverse or angular wrinkles, creases and folds thereof, which cause themV to look. inartistic, ungraceful and slovenly and which cause discomfort and annoyance to the wearer.

It is a matter of common knowledge that trousers worn by some people look neater, more artistic and more graceful than those worn by others. In the case of the latter,

they vary in degree of inelegance from those.

that are somewhat ungraceful up to those that look very ungracefulY and slovenly.

It will be conceded that of trousers that look the neatest and most graceful, the legs thereof hang straight down over the legs of the wearer with the front and rear pressed creases, i. e. those intentionally pressed therein by the tailor, appearing as straight, un-

80 bent or unbroken lines when viewed in the vertical planes thereof, and that the more there are of transverse and angular wrinkles, and the more broken, bent or distorted are the vertical front and rear pressed creases, the more ungraceful and slovenly such trousers appear.

Although the waist measure and leg lengths of many trousers conform with the waist measure and leg length of the wearers, they are none the less liable to troubles such as those above recited which-render them ungraceful and slovenly. Y

In seeking a reason for this I observed that trousers worn by slender men are far less liable to develop vdistorting wrinkles, and when present are to a lesser degree, than those worn by fleshy people.

That in cases where trousers were accurately made to measure and conformed to the gure and convolutions of the body so Serial No. 278,425.

that they would hang or drape over it without undue pressure at any part thereof, they look neater, more artistic and graceful than those that do not so conform.

After careful investigation, I ascertained the reason for this to be that where there was little or no body pressure against trousers, they hung around the body and legs of the wearer with few distorting wrinkles. But where there was body pressure thereon (and this I found to be so in the greater majority of cases) the trouser material was pulled toward the points of pressure causing angular or transverse wrinkles to appear in the lower body part and leg parts, causing the front and back vertical pressed creases to appear as bent or crooked lines and giving to the trousers generally a slovenly appearance, or, to use the common mode of expression, Vto hang badly.` IV also observed that a similar con-dition arose in some cases where there was an excess of trouser material at certain points. v

I found that it was not a question of whether or not trousers Llit the wearer. It is purely a question of how they are draped over the body and legs `which determines what their appearance will be. Trousers may fit the wearer, that is to say, conform to his figure and all the convolutions of his body and legs and still disclose the distorting wrinkles and creases above referred to.

In the case of very fleshy men, although their trousers may fit them as well as could be expected, unless they drape loosely over them, it cannot escape attention that in walking there is a decided pull exerted on the trousers at the abdominal part which pulls the back part of the trousers legs above the knees against the leg of the wearer causing transverse and angular wrinkles and causing the legs of the trousers to rise, particularly at the back part when the legs are finishing the step, and conversely when the legs are being advanced, on account lof pull exerted at the seat.

I also found that in trousers that were either too high or too low in the waist in either the front or the back or did not otherwise conform to the figure in such a way that they draped over the same without undue pressure, or had undue slackness in any parts, similar distorting wrinkles appeared therein.

Having discovered the causes of these distortions my object was to find some way whereby they might be overcome in a simple and effective manner. Experimentation showed me that this could be accomplished by exercising vertical pulls of sufficient force in the waist portion of the trousers at certain definite points therein and that at no other points therein, could this be accomplished.

These points are four in number and are located in the waist portion or in the waistband thereof, two of which are in the vertical plane of the axis of the wearers right foot when it is pointed straight forward, and the other two of which are in the vertical plane of the axis of the wearers left foot when it is pointed straight forward, and this location is a necessary and important part of my method.

The strength of pull required at said points for the accomplishment of the purpose aforesaid, must be suiiicient to overcome or counteract the effect of body or leg pulls on the trousers and of slackness due to excess of material at certain points whichcause angular' or transverse wrinkles as above described, and to force the front and back vertical pressed creases to appear as straight, unbroken or unbent lines when viewed in the planes thereof.

Whether the pull having the greatest force should be exerted at the two front points or at the two back points of said four points of support, or be otherwise regulated between them, depends entirely on the nature of the trouble and where it is located, that is sought to be overcome or counteracted in any given pair of trousers. This can easily be determined by the wearer.

These pulls can be executed by the hands of the wearer and the claims advanced herein can easily be demonstrated by any man for himself by following the method described.

ln doing he will observe that by pulling the trousers in a vertical direction at the front and hack points of said four points oi support. which are. in the same vertical plane, he can fo 1ce all parts of the front and back vertical pre ed creases into said vertical plane, thus making them appear as straight, unbroken or unbent lines when viewed in the plane thereof. Such pulls will give to the lf` of the trousers a balance or equilibrium between the fore and rear parts thereof from their points of suspension at said two points of support. The essential purpose is the overcoming` or counteracting of the eii'ects of body and leg pulls on different portions of trousers as well as of unnecessa 1y slack, all of which produce distortin angular or .fransverse wrinkles, which distort the pressed creases and cause an upward pull of the trousers legs, giving an ungraceful and slovenly appearance. This can be accomplished by they series of acts done in the way above outlined and which constitutes my new method.

This method consists in exerting vertical upward pulls of suliicient force in the waist portion of trousers at four and only four points therein, two of which are located in the vertical plane of the artis of the wearers right foot when it is pointed straight ahead, and the other two of which are located in the vertical plane of the axis of the wearefs left foot when it pointed straight ahead, the force of such pulls being sufficient to counteractall distortin wrinkles produced by body or leg pressure on the trousers or by slack in the fabric and likewise sul'licient to pull the vertical pressed creases each leg into their respective vertical planes so relating such pull at each ot said four points of support as will accomplish these results.

Having demonstrated that such method of manipulation accomi'slishes the above results, it became necessary to find a means for sustaining these results so as to render the methol practicable and therefore useful. It was y ined that this could not satisfactorily he accomplished by the use of suspenders or an ordinary encircling belt or by any other known means of supporting trousers, without considerable change. specially suited to the purpose and which is exemirilitied in the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figs. l and 2 illustrate more or less diagrammatically the necessary relation of the i points of support to the feet of the wearer;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the belt with the preferred form of supporting element supplied;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through the belt supporting element, attachment element and waistband in position or slightly sepaated for clear-ness;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the same;

Fig. 6 is the attachment element or hook designed to cooperate with the supporting element of Fig. 3.

The belt l may be any ordinary belt with a suitable adjustment means or buckle 2. It

is worn over the shirt, not shown, or other i undergarment, so that it is inside of the waistband.

The letters A, B, C, and D mark the four points at which the trousers are supported according to this invention and as indicated by the dotted line, they will be seen ,to be located respectively vertically above the center of the instep, or forward part of the foot, and the center of the heel, or back part of the foot. The location of said four points I of support is most important and requires to be stated since even a moderate variation will throw the trousers out of balance with the axis of the leg and thereby will result in the .objections referred to. Although the l invented a means ,diagramof the drawing. shows the points XA, B, Gland D in parallel planes, it will be understood that-this is for clearness of illustration and that their position is in any event in the vertical planes of the axes of the two feet of the wearer when they are parallel and facing straight forward.

. As a preferred form of supporting and attachment means, I employ an element comprising a metal plate vwith off-set end portions 3 vertically slotted to receive the belt,

and a central portion provided with a vertical series of identical horizontal crossbars 4L equally spaced from one another, like a ladder. This central portion is disposed on the outside of the belt and by the arrangement of the off-sets is spaced slightly away from it to provide clearance for the head 5 of the attachment element, shown in Fig. G. The Vertical slots in the off-set end portions 3 are of a width slightly wider than the thickness of the belt suhfcient to allow the supporting element to b-e readily worked along the belt either forward or backward as desired, when the belt is loose, by exercising a moderate degree of force with the fingers, but not sufficiently wide to permit the supporting element to slide along it without pressure. The purpose of this is to prevent a change of position of the supporting element, due to slipping along the belt, when the elt is removed from the body.

T he horizontal slots between the crossbars 4. are designed as to vertical width with reference to the length of the head 5 of the attachment element shown in 6 as well as with reference to the thickness of the crossbars l and their distance from the uncerlying portion of the belt, so that the T-shaped head of the attachment element can be inserted in any of said slots as desired at an angle so that the guard part at the top of the head 5 will just clear the nearest upper crossbar i of the supporting element and rest under it as the arm supporting the head 5 comes in contact with and rests on the neat lower crossbar. lt is obvious that if the head of the attachment element were too long with reference to the vertical width of the horizontal slots, the thickness of the crossbars, and the distance they are away from tl e underlying portion of the belt, all of the head and particularly the guard part at the top thereof could not enter such slots, as the head having to enter the slots at an anglo would come in contact with the underlying belt its progress be stopped. Conversely if the slots had too great vertical width, with reference to the length of the head 5, the thickness of he crossbars t, and the distance the underlying portion of the belt is away from the crossbars, the angle at which the head 5 could enter or be removed from the slots would be so slight that there would be grave danger of the attachment element besupporting element shown in Fig. 3.

ln order to facilitate the insertion of the head 5 of the attachment element Fig. 6 in the' slots between the crossbars i the head portion 5 is set at an angle to or slightly curved away from the base 7. The head 5 is offset from the base 7 of the attachment element Fig. 6 a suiiicient distanceso that the lower part of the base Y, will not come in contact with any of t ie crossbars d when the head of the attachment element is being set in any of the slots between he crossbars il.

By constructing the engaging part or head part of the attachment element as above indicated, with reference to the central portion of the supporting element as above described, the attachment element can easily and quickly be engaged with the lsupporting element by pushing the hook part 5 of the attachment element inward and downward through the desired slot in an arc-like direction, and may, as easily and quickly, be disengaged therefrom, by pulling the attachment member upward and outward in an arc-like direction. ihc fact that it is almost impossible to disengage the attachment element from the supporting element except by an arc-like motion upwards and outwards prevents it from becoming accidentally disengaged.

rlfhis attchment element is secured in any appropriatermanner to the inner face of the waistband 6 and its T-shaped head is adapted, as above described, to be introduced between any of the crossbars t by first inserting lan arc-like direction, so that the guard part comes under the next upper crossbar and the base of the attachment element becomes parallel with the belt surface. In this position, Fig. 5, accidental` disengagement is safely prevented. The attachment element may be secured to the waistband by sewing, for which purpose its base 7 is perforated as indicated, or it may be secured in any other appropriate way, but in any case an attachment element is carefully located at each of the four points of support as hereinbefore indicated. The supporting elements are first located on the belt as nearly as may be, to be in alignment with the attachment elements, when the trousers are being worn, andthe belt is then fastened around the wearers waist at the desired tension; the trousers are then `buttoned up and the four points in the belt in the vertical planes of the front and rear attachment elements respectively on the waistband are noted; the belt is then loosened and the supthen engaged with the particular crossbars` of the supporting elements both in the front and in the rear as will conform to the height to which the trousers have been pulled at said four peints of support respectively. Any slight lateral variation of the position of the supporting elements with reference to the attachment elements is of no importance provided it is slight for the reason that the horizontal slots of the supporting elements are purposely made about one half inch longer than the width of the head of the attachment clement, so as to compensate for any such variation and in order to permit self-location of the attachment elements in their respective predetermined and correct positions.

It is advisable to affix the attachment elements to the lower margin of the waistband at the four points of support, as this will usu ally permit of about one inch increase in vertical adjustment of the trousers. It also provides a maximum of waistband to cover the belt so in most cases to entirely conceal it. It will be noted that the invention consists in providing' for the support of the trousers only at the four points of support described, and that if additional attachment devices are employed they will defeat the purpose of the invention unless so used as to be without effeet on the trousers legs.

It will be apparent that within the principles above explained the invention can be embodied in numerous forms and applied in a variety of ways.

Having described my invention, I claim:

The method of adjusting and supporting` trousers on the wearer thereof which consists in aflixing attaching elements to the waistband of the trousers at four points only two of which said points are in the front and back parts thereof respectively, in the perpendicular plane of the axis of the wearers right foot when it is pointed straight forward and the other two of which are in the front and back parts thereof respectively in the perpendicular plane of the wearers left foot when it is pointed straight forward, applying around the wearers waist a belt or girdle cquipped with four laterally adjustable supporting elements respectively capable of engaging said four attaching elements at any desired height within a range of about the width of said belt, adjusting said supporting elements so that each one thereof shall be in perpendicular alinement with one of said attaching elements, then by hand eX erting such degree of vertical pull on the waistband at each of said four points of support as will be suflicient to force the vertical creases customarily pressed in the front and back parts of trousers legs into said vertical planes throughout their entire length, as nearly as may be, and the bottoms of the trousers legs to the desired height, so relating said pull however at said points that the front and rear portions of each trouser leg 'specilicatioir CHARLES S. MACKENZIE. 

